If you fish on the "south side," you'll pass Mile Light and Seal Rocks offshore the Cliff House

If you fish on the "south side," you'll pass Mile Light and Seal Rocks offshore the Cliff House

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Kevin Huynh, Eugene Lee, Regina Hoshimi and Aycin Caki in the cabin -- who will get the big one?

Kevin Huynh, Eugene Lee, Regina Hoshimi and Aycin Caki in the cabin -- who will get the big one?

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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At rail of Sundance, Eugene Lee and Kevin Huynh wait for salmon to bite

At rail of Sundance, Eugene Lee and Kevin Huynh wait for salmon to bite

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Regina Hoshimi caught the big one; Tony Broglio admires

Regina Hoshimi caught the big one; Tony Broglio admires

Photo: Courtesy Capt. RJ Waldron

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Putting the point to the fish

Putting the point to the fish

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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As boat Sundance heads out, Tony Broglio rigs hooks, bait

As boat Sundance heads out, Tony Broglio rigs hooks, bait

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Ready for first drop: bait box with rigged anchovies

Ready for first drop: bait box with rigged anchovies

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Tony Broglio looks for schools of baitfish on fishfinder

Tony Broglio looks for schools of baitfish on fishfinder

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Kone Zone, a high visibility trolling flasher, is a new hit this year

Kone Zone, a high visibility trolling flasher, is a new hit this year

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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New Salmon Queen full of fish-catching anglers

New Salmon Queen full of fish-catching anglers

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldronn

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On a different trip, John Beath battles a salmon

On a different trip, John Beath battles a salmon

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Only big the ones have tails like these

Only big the ones have tails like these

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Heading back into the bay, Alcatraz in distance

Heading back into the bay, Alcatraz in distance

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Passing Alcatraz under big blue sky on way back to Emeryville -- trip provides tour of bay

Passing Alcatraz under big blue sky on way back to Emeryville -- trip provides tour of bay

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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Another great day of salmon fishing

Another great day of salmon fishing

Photo: Courtesy Capt. R.J. Waldron

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At the dock: David Morgan (on left) and Darrel Jellison with a beautiful limit of big salmon

At the dock: David Morgan (on left) and Darrel Jellison with a beautiful limit of big salmon

Photo: Courtesy Kathie Morgan

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Golden Gate salmon: 20-pic photo adventure

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The photo gallery above is a collection of photographs that captures a salmon trip out the Golden Gate, from start to finish.

Diary of a salmon trip

At 2:42 a.m. Tuesday, you wake up for the third time and look at the clock. No, it is not time to get up yet.

But at 3:14 a.m., you check again, because you don’t want to oversleep your wake-up time. The salmon are biting out the Golden Gate, the forecast is for the ocean to be flat calm, and today is the day for your long-awaited trip.

Here is your diary, provided by those aboard the trip:

–4:07 a.m.: After checking the clock at 3:14 a.m., exhausted, you finally immerse into a deep sleep and fall into the bottomless abyss of the unconscious. The shock of the alarm at 4:07 nearly rockets you through the ceiling. Incoherent and groggy, you remember: Time to go salmon fishing!

–4:23 a.m.: Cooler? Yes. Rod? Yes. You already readied those the night before near the front door. Dramamine? You read the directions for the seasick pills for the 193rd time in your life: “Take this medication by mouth, with or without food, 30 minutes to 1 hour before starting activity.”

–5:13 a.m.: You arrive at Emeryville Sportfishing Center, wonder how John Perrodin, at the counter, always looks so awake at this time of day. A trip costs $100, rod rental is $10, salmon tackle for the day is $22. But your trip is special: You’re in a group of six that chartered the Sundance, a six-pack boat, for $995, where everything is provided but license and food. You feel the magic of anticipation.

–5:21 a.m.: A rich woman from San Diego walks up to the counter and rents an entire 55-footer, the Salmon Queen, for $1,800, for herself, daughter and a friend. Perrodin somehow manages to hold his face.

–5:24 a.m.: When you think nobody is looking, you pop another Dramamine.

–5:27 a.m.: You board the Sundance; greet your pals. Capt. R.J. Waldron has already fired up his engines. Tony Broglio, a skipper who used to run the Rapid Transit, is playing deckhand, rigging baits, checking rods.